News 2022 - 2023

Congratulations to all the awards winners for June

A Final Farewell to our Amazing P7 Leavers 2023

Today we bid farewell to an amazing group of P7 pupils as they are now ready to move on to ‘big’ school. We are so proud of each and everyone of you and wish you all the very best moving forwards.

Click LEAVERS to see Awards photos

P3 Had Amazing Fun at their Pirate Party

Mrs Walsh’s Retirement Assembly

On Friday 23rd June we held a very special assembly to celebrate Mrs Walsh’s retirement at the end of this academic year. She is a much loved member of staff and we will all be very sad to see her go but wish her all the very best as she certainly has earned the right to take things easier. Mrs Walsh spoke fondly of her time in Bridge and the many special memories she takes with her. It was lovely to welcome her family and past members of staff.

Final Roots of Empathy Visit in P5T

P5T thoroughly enjoyed their final visit with their tiny teacher, baby Erin. Mum, Cliodhna and dad Adam came along as we celebrated how much we have all enjoyed the experience of watching Erin grow and engage with pupils in the class. Erin was in brilliant form and had lots of smiles and high fives to share. P5 shared their wishes for Erin as she grows up, sang her some songs and even took a few selfies with her too. 

A big thank-you to Cliodhna and Adam for the lovely cake and Mrs Robinson our Roots of Empathy teacher.

In the words of P5 - it was the best day ever as they watched the P7 Matilda play, had Erin’s visit, enjoyed treats and rounders!

P7 Matilda Dress Rehearsal

All we can say is WOW! We were blown away by the amazing talent on the stage and the excellent stage handlers and technical whizz kids. We were absolutely outstanding and parents are definitely in for a treat!

Walking Tour of Banbridge

Our Railway Project Group enjoyed a very informative walking tour of Banbridge led by Jason Diamond. Pupils had lots of fun learning about the history of our town and looking at the sites where the railway used to be. They enjoyed a reception at the Old Town Hall with a slideshow from Charles Friel and stories from members of Banbridge Historical Society.

Pupils also viewed articles and photos provided by Drew Greg, Joe Furphy, Paul Campbell and the Banbridge Chronicle.

Confirmation Celebration

Congratulations to our P7 pupils and pupils from Banbridge Academy, Edenderry and Abercorn who made their Confirmation on Saturday 17th June 2023

Summer Raffle Prize Winners

Congratulations to all the prize winners in the recent summer draw.  A huge thank-you to the Parents’ Group who organised it!  Lots of very happy faces!

P1 & 2 Trip to Fort Evergreen

P1 and P2 had a fabulous day having fun and playing together in Fort Evergreen on 15th June.
What a great way to celebrate together!

Main Sports Day 2023

We enjoyed Sports Day 2 on 9th June. This day was filled with fun, dance, music, team activities and of course some of the more competitive athletic events - a bit of something for everyone! It was a beautiful sunny day and it was great to see so many parents, guardians and extended family members there cheering pupils on. A big thank-you to Mr O’Neill or organising it and his team of helpers which included EVO coaches, Heather Addis and P7 pupils to name just a few.

Rugby Tournament May 2023

A great group of boys and girls represented our school in a recent rugby tournament. Mr O’Neill was super proud of all your efforts. Congratulations to Tommy  who was won player of the tournament and also Mark who was the team captain.

P4 Pupils Celebrate their First Holy Communion

Congratulations to the P4 children from Bridge Integrated Primary School, Abercorn Primary School and Ballydown Primary School who received their first Holy Communion today! Thanks to Fr Andrew, Mrs Walsh and the choir - pupils and staff - and all who contributed to make this special service so memorable for the children and their families.

P4-P7 pupils had an assembly with Mrs Walsh and some P4 pupils today. They learned about what receiving First Holy Communion means for some of our Catholic P4 children tomorrow.

Special Treats for Choir Pupils

Many thanks to Vivo Extra on the Newry Road who donated some crisps, chocolate and water for our School Choir end of year celebration! Pictured with some choir children are Suzie and Amanda from the store!
Further supplies were given to us by our very own Parents Group who are always willing to support our children and events!

P.7 say a huge thank-you and goodbye to Rui

Rui, our Mandarin teacher had her last lesson with P7 yesterday. We loved her lessons - thank you Zuo Rui!

Integrated Schools Football Champions

Huge congratulations to Mr O’Neill and the boys who represented our school in the recent Integrated Schools tournament in Belfast. Boys and girls from P5-7 represented our school in two teams. Excellent attitudes, teamwork and behaviour from all these pupils made the whole experience a wonderful one for all. It was our P7 boys team who ended up winning the tournament and they received their medals in assembly today. 
The whole school community is so proud of everyone involved in this tournament and also the EVO Soccer tournament earlier in the year. 

P3 trip to the local fruit and vegetable shop and butchers
P3S/W really enjoyed their trip down to AJ Butchers and A Country Corners greengrocer! We learned that fruit and vegetables can come from different countries! The greengrocer also gave us lots of fruit which we had for our healthy snack in school! 

Awards winners in P1-3 and P4-7

Well done everyone!

P5 Meet Local Author Declan Carville

Both P5 classes were delighted to participate in a creative writing workshop with local author Declan Carville on Monday 27th March. Pupils got to learn about what inspired Declan to become an author; from listening to a piece of Disney music to reading his favourite childhood books such as the Famous Five and Charlie Brown. Declan shared some of his stories and explained how he got some if his ideas when writing. Pupils loved the illustrations he shared and his explanations about how he went about choosing an illustrator.

Pupils were delighted to learn that Declan’s books are based in Northern Ireland and are often set in real places like the Giant’s Causeway.  Many pupils loved seeing his beautiful photos of the Fairy Glen in Rostrevor and had lots of tales to share about being there themselves or indeed at a favourite restaurant in Warrenpoint. Declan shared some great tips about writing and encouraged pupils to simply be creative in a way that suits them through drawing, writing, dancing, art, ICT etc.. 
 This workshop was funded by the AMMA Creative Learning Centre and we would like to thank them and Declan for making today’s workshop possible.

Children’s Mental Health Week will take place nationwide from 6th – 12th February 2023.  This year’s theme is Let’s Connect.

As a whole school community, we will be celebrating this event by encouraging our pupils and staff to connect with others in healthy, rewarding and meaningful ways.

Click here to see some photos - more to follow throughout the week. PHOTOS

Celebrating Safer Internet Day 2023

This year we encourage you all to start a conversation with your parents/carers about the things you enjoy doing online.  Remember we all want the online world to be a place where we can have fun and feel safe.  If you see anything that makes you feel uncomforatble tell a trusted adult.  Let's all spread the word and some kindness to make our online experiences positive and enjoyable.

Click: What to talk about it?  to see what some classes have been doing to celebrate the day.

More info: https://beinternetlegends.withgoogle.com/en_uk/parents/

Evo Soccer Tournament 26th January

excellent teamwork and skill from our A and B teams in the recent evo tournament in Cheney Park. Our yellow team won 4 and drew the semi final 0-0 and were knocked out on a coin toss. They were brilliant!
We’re still top of the league with one tournament to go.

Celebrating Chinese New Year 2023

P3-P7 students celebrated Chinese New Year on Tuesday 24th January with Rui and her colleagues from the Confucius Institute in UUJ. Pupils enjoyed listening to a traditional story, watched dancing, listened to beautiful music and even met a

Bridge IPS Admission and Enrolments Policy 

Bridge IPS will host an Open Evening for the parents and guardians of prospective P1 pupils for September 2023 on Tuesday 17th Jan 2023 from 6.30pm - 8pm.  The Principal's presentation will be at 6.40pm in the assembly hall. 

Bridge IPS in association with Friends of St John's Primary School Gilford – need your help!

Following the initial submission of our Take500+ application, we have made it through to the next stage of the process to avail of some funding. The proposal involves the provision of Health and Wellbeing days (Big Workouts) during Children’s Mental Health Week 6-12th February at our own school and also includes our friends at Bridge Integrated Primary School.

Can parents please pop into Banbridge Leisure Centre on Saturday 21st January 2023 from 10.30 -1.30 to vote for our amazing project. This will benefit each child within the school by providing them with additional resources towards their physical, social, emotional and mental wellbeing.”

Open Night 18th January 2023…Showcases Team Bridge

What a super Open Evening! Thanks to everyone who came out on a cold and snowy night! We hope you enjoyed visiting Bridge IPS tonight.
Special thanks to BIPS Parents Group, the choir, our digital leaders and our excellent P7 guides who were all wonderful!

Let it Snow...

With the beautiful snow this morning (18th January) we just had to get outside and play in it!  Lots of fun was enjoyed by all. 

P5 Swimming Success

Congratulatiosn to pupils in P5ON for their amazing efforts in swimming in term 1.  After Covid restrictions it was great to see so many pupils enjoying being in the water again and improving their swimming skills.  Well done!

Double AR Word Millionaire

Congratulations to Katie P5ON who has only gone and read an amazing 2 million words.  Well done!

Did Your Child Get A New Device for Christmas?

Have a look at the following websites for some helpful advice and support.

Connected Christmas

Internet Matters

Santa Arrives to Help Children Cross the Road

The big man made an appearance at our  school this morning and spread some festive cheer with his cheerful smile and lots of waves. Santa was checking to see who is on his nice list… here’s hoping everyone has a great Christmas

Christmas Kindness Decorations for our Friends in Spelga Mews

Just a few examples of beautiful Christmas decorations made by pupils throughout the school for older people in the Banbridge community and in particular our special friends in Spelga Mews.  Pupils enjoyed designing their decorations and writing a special message. We really hope that they help put a smile on someone's face this festive season.  P5 were photographed at the wrong post box but don't worry their decorations made it to the right postbox in the end!

Swimming Achievements in P5T

Congratulions to all our pupils who participated in swimming lessons in this first term.  After a long break in lessons because of Covid it was great to see children gaining confidence in the water and feeling a real sense of achievement as they developed their skills.  Well done to everyone!  A few pupils were absent when photo was taken.

Choir Spreads Some Festive Cheer
The school choir spent the morning on Tuesday 20th December entertaining some customers in Tesco followed by a visit to Spelga Mews where the residents were so excited to see and hear the children! A great morning's work and a total of £95 raised to start the fund for a new digital piano! How exciting! And well done to the choir who have worked tremendously hard over this term!

Freckle Winners in November and December

Congratulations to all pupils for their efforts using Freckle Maths program this term.  The following children deserve to feel very proud of their efforts and growth using the program and for answering the most questions accurately during the months of Novemebr and December.  They all enjoyed a special Freckle party to celebrate their efforts.

Congratulations to the Mathsseeds Winners P1 + P2 

Well done to the top users for the month of December and also the children who made the most progress in the Autumn term!   

We are so very proud of you all!

AR Millionaires

Congratulations to our latest AR word millionaires Daniel fro P5T and Ellie from P7R who is now a double word millionaire. Super reading!

P3 Nativity Play

Congratulations to all of the P3 pupils for their beautiful Natvity play.  Everyone was amazing and the whole school comminuty thoroughly enjoyed your show.  Not only did the children perform brilliantly for the school and their parenst but also for visiting Nursery schools and Donard Special School on Friday 16th December.  Busy busy P.3 pupils and staff.  You are all stars!

P.1 & P2 Christmas Production

Congratulations to all of the P1 and P2 pupils who performed in this year's Christmas Play 'Penguin Pete'.  It was wonderful for us all to be able to come together and watch the performance. After three years without Chrstmas plays due to Covid this year was extra special and certainly put us all in a festive mood. P.1 and 2 you were such a treat to watch and you certainly made us all smile.  Proud pupils, parenst and of course teachers and assistants! 

Festive Food Donations

As a school, we were overwhelmed and delighted by your kindness and support in our annual food drive in December.  Your donations have now been handed over to both SVP and J19 food banks to help people in need in our own community during these very hard times. 

Festive Fun Evening

The Parents' Group Festive Fun Evening on 8th December was a brilliant success.  There were lots of fun games, treats to enjoy and wonderful prizes to win in the tombola. A huge thank-you to all the parent volunteers who work hard to ensure our pupils enjoy lots of fun events and also raise much needed funds.

Cross Country Race

Congratulations to all the pupils who participated in the recent cross country race on 9th December.  They braved freezing conditions to compete in their second run in Lurgan Park.  Super running everyone!

Bridge Pupils Enjoy Gaelic Blitz 

Well done to the grils and boys who represented Bridge in a Gaelic Blitz organised by Newbridge Integrated College on 9th December. A great experience was enjoyed by all!

Celebrating Anti-Bullying Week 2022

School Pollinator Garden

What a fantastic time the whole school enjoyed this week (beginning 2nd Dec) planting out our new pollinator garden funded by @liveherelovehere and #SPGG.  A hige thank-you to Mrs Wakely for organising this and to Nigel Hamilton for so genreously giving of his time to prepare the ground for us.

Speech and Drama Festival Comes to Bridge IPS

On 23rd November 2022 Aujudicator, Mrs Patricia Mulligan and her assistant Mrs Tranmer came to Bridge for our first in-school Speech and Drama Festival.  What a treat it was for pupils involved and parents who came along to watch. Proud faces, positive comments and positivity was the order of the day. A big thank you to Patricia for her very positive feedback and Helen for organising all the prizes and certificates.

November Award Winners

Congratulations to all of our November Award Winners across the school community.  We are so proud of all you have achieved. 

October Award Winners P1-P.3

Well done everyone!  We are so very proud of your all!

October Award Winner in P4-P.7

Well done everyone!  We are so proud of you all.

Halloween Fun!

On Your Marks, Get Set...Let's Go!!

Cross Country Event on Friday 7th October

Well done to all the boys and girls who participated in the recent cross country event.  There were lots of excited and happy faces there to represent Bridge IPS. You were all amazing!  A big thank you to Heather Ardis for preparing the children.  I think it is safe to day that they are all looking forward to the next race!

September Award Winners 

Well done to all of our award winners this month.  It was lovely to see so many smiling and proud faces. Sadly a few winners were absent or were away at the cross country competition and missed getting their photos taken.

Photos of P1-3 to follow.

Congratulations to our Word Millionaires in term 1A

 Well done to everyone in P.5-P.7 for the great start to reading this year.  We are so proud of all of your efforts and a special mention is deserved for our first AR word millionaires.  Well done everyone!  Keep reading...I wonder who will be the next millionaire?

More photos to be added.

Bridge IPS is Officially a Forest School

Congratulations to Mrs Wakely, who has been working really hard to achieve Forest School accreditation for our school.  She was delighted to receive this recent award.

Congratulations to the Maths Seeds Award Winners in P.1 + 2 for September

Congratulations to the Winning Frecklers in P.4-P.7 for the month of September

Bridge Wins  First round in EVO's Primary School League

Many congratulations to all the boys and girls who represented Bridge on 29th September 2022, in the first football tournament of the year.  Pupils played well and made us all proud of their teamwork, skills and efforts.  Well done everyone!